ingredient

American  

[in-gree-dee-uhnt] / ɪnˈgri di ənt /

noun

1. something that enters as an element into a mixture.

   Flour, eggs, and sugar are the main ingredients in the cake.

2. a constituent element of anything; component.

   the ingredients of political success.

---

ingredient British  

/ ɪnˈɡriːdɪənt /

noun

1. a component of a mixture, compound, etc, esp in cooking

---

Related Words

See element.

Etymology

Origin of ingredient

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English from Latin ingredient- (stem of ingrediēns ), present participle of ingredī “to go or step into, commence,” equivalent to in- in- ² + -gredient- “going”; gradient

Explanation

An ingredient is one part of a mixture. For example, if you're making chocolate chip cookies, flour is just one ingredient you'll need. Ingredient comes from the Latin word ingredientem, meaning "that which enters into." It's not just for cookies. If you're in the lab mixing a chemical compound, you carefully add one ingredient after the next and record the results (and hope nothing blows up). It's also an element or factor of something, such as how that song you wrote has all the ingredients to be a sure-fire hit! Remember that it ends in -ent, since often what you Eat has ingrediEnts.

Example Sentences

This pointed to the adenovirus itself, rather than a specific vaccine ingredient, as the source of the problem.

From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2026

It is, in other words, an ingredient with range.

From Salon • Apr. 10, 2026

Her crush — and the increased socialization it brought to her life — taught her she was the magic ingredient to her own joy.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

Some 20% of the world's oil trade, the raw ingredient for producing both petrol and diesel, has been halted by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

Bubbe always said the cake had a special ingredient.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

Related Words

• additive
• element
• factor
• piece